How to move onenote sections back to top of notebook?

Anonymous
2017-05-26T06:50:42+00:00

I have found that the default onenote view is to have sections run along the top of the notebook instead of on the right (vertical view). I prefer to have my sections run along the top in the default view, but somehow, my view changed where all my sections are in a left aligned vertical view. I cannot figure out how to revert back to where all the section tabs are back along the top of each notebook. Please show me how. I cannot find this info anywhere in Microsoft support. Please note, this screenshot was taken while Office Theme = Colorful and while the "Enable Experimental Features" box was checked.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneNote | For home | Windows

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Anonymous
2017-05-27T19:38:21+00:00

Hi Nick. I'm glad to hear you're an actual MicroSoft engineer. I hope it is an engineer specifically for the OneNote product. I want to call B.S. on your "user testing". Switching over without the option of giving your end users a choice of layout was plain stupid and short-sighted on the part of MicroSoft. I've been using OneNote for just over a year despite being an avid Apple products user. I did this on the advice of two colleagues who use Onenote regularly, and who actually work for Microsoft (as employees, not vendors). Both of them state that they use tabs across the top and they believe it is only the Apple version that was changed permanently. They stated they would revert to version 15.33 if the engineering team forced this changed upon the software! Also, why don't you take a moment to read the feedback that you've been receiving about this forced change? Not just within the VOTE page (which has risen to 370), but throughout all the tickets that have been submitted asking how to restore this, as well as posts and comments made within the Microsoft online community. The 370 votes posted are only a small percentage of dissent that's out there. Nick, take your head out of the sand. Really. You can add this as an option for those who prefer tabs on the left... But why force it? Stupid. Plain stupid. 

I have reverted back to version 15.33 using Apple's time machine. If anyone reading this wants to know how to fix this issue, the answer is revert back to version 15.33. If you don' have Time Machine, and you need an alternative means to do so, please post a message here and I will help you with this.

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Anonymous
2017-05-27T05:41:55+00:00

Hey Santiago! I'm an engineer on the OneNote team.

To bring consistency across the OneNote platforms we've moved the section selection to the left side of the screen. Through user testing we've determined that (while the migration can be confusing) users find the updated experience to be more intuitive given our hierarchy structure (Notebook => Section => Page).

You're welcome to leave feedback for this change on UserVoice :)

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-04-30T20:35:07+00:00

    I  guess we are all finding out ….in some cases after over 2 years of posting. That MS is totally tone deaf as to what serious users have to say. 

    I note frequently....the are always asking for testers....and it seems that they are always asking for them over and over again.

    It is simple....why waste my time cataloging, reporting commenting and...they ignore it. 

    I loved discovering OneNote...before laptops....then Ohhhhh wow...touchscreen ...yikes I am on the bridge of the Enterprise...used it daily.....and then....'the change'. At best I used it for a parking place for 'stuff'...to be used later. 

    IMHO...they screwed up big time on this. Fantastic product....and they destroyed it.

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-04-30T18:25:56+00:00

    I don't like the new format at all. I'm not sure why the software engineers felt the need to change it. Having the tabs on the side is ridiculous and inconvenient. File folder tabs are on top, not on the side. Having the subfiles on the left is horrible too as the majority of us use the mouse with our right hand and now have everything on the left. The ribbon changes are horrible too as they've taken away most of the tings that we do or have added extra clicks to find them. There's no copy feature, no screen shot feature, no print feature...the list goes on. Whoever thought of this change should strongly reconsider and perhaps ask the folks who use it before making such drastic changes.

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-04-19T14:28:39+00:00

    Honestly, this attitude is why I generally dislike Microsoft software. MS makes really big UI change decisions with that same rational -- across every product line. Why does it seem so foreign of a concept to MS developers in general, to offer a choice to users and let users choose what they actually want? Is it that cumbersome to add an option of where to have the section & page tabs? Obviously, the code already existed for that functionality, so it wouldn't have to be developed from scratch.

    I just upgraded and didn't have timemachine setup (shame on me). Guess I'm in search of a replacement product for OneNote. Too bad. I used to really like it, but the new UI looks horrible.

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